A/N: Though there will be no graphic descriptions, this chapter will come with a trigger warning for reference to sexual assault.

Chapter 26.

Winter had been long and dreary. There were a few deaths due to illness, but Natsuki had been quick to reassure the others that it was not the same illness that took the original colony that had stood where Windbloom was now. She pointed out that the illness that took her people had been accompanied by nausea and diarrhea, as well as fever and chills. The illness that took five of the Windbloom colonists had involved coughing, difficulty breathing, and severe congestion.

Natsuki had actually found herself working alongside Haruka Suzushiro during that time, providing various medicinal herbs and treatments for sickness that she'd learned from the nearby tribes. Suzushiro seemed very intent on aiding the sick, almost fearlessly so.

John Smith had warned them that Nagi's agents would seek to foment trouble between the colonists and the tribes, but thus far, nothing had happened. Since those men hadn't been returned to the colony, they were beginning to wonder if those men had perished to the bitter cold of the winter on the Atlantic coast.

There were early hints of spring, and Natsuki ventured out hunting with Takeda and Sokanon again one day when the snow had finally melted.

The three of them were used to each other, at this point, and well versed in one another's body language, so that they did not need to speak at all during the hunt. Sokanon had informed Natsuki that some prize birds were available for hunting at that moment. Plump, flightless, and with very visible plumage, the wild turkeys were considered quite a catch.

They were about to bag their fourth turkey that day, Takeda drawing back on the bowstring, lining up the killshot, when the morning air was split by the deafening report of a gunshot. Natsuki felt warm liquid splatter her, and she turned, horrified, as she saw Sokanon's body fall to the ground, half of his head just a mass of blood. The same blood that now covered her.

"Sokanon!" She cradled his body, crying out, "Sokanon! NOOO!!!"

So consumed with grief was she, she didn't see the man come up behind her, who struck her with the butt of his pistol, knocking her unconscious.

Takeda had turned, rising to his feet, at the sound of the gunshot, only to trip over a tree root, falling down a steep cliff. He hit his head on a tree, on the way down, and then he lay there, unconscious.

888888

Takeda came to a bit later. He wasn't sure how long he'd been out, only that his head hurt terribly. He staggered to his feet, and then he heard the sounds of men laughing, and he heard fabric being torn. He made his way up from the ravine floor,

The first thing he saw, upon reaching the top, was the bloody mess that was Sokanon's body. Takeda made the sign of the cross, saying a silent prayer for the hunter he'd come to respect over the past year.

The next thing Takeda saw was Natsuki's tunic, without Natsuki in it, lying torn on the ground. Part of it was stained red with Sokanon's blood. Takeda drew the flintlock pistol he carried for emergencies.

The next thing Takeda saw was a group of three men, standing around something, making comments to each other and laughing. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but their laughter was neither wholesome nor jolly. It was cruel and malicious and wicked laughter.

The last thing Takeda saw made his blood boil. The thing that the trio of men was standing around was, in fact, the slender form of Baroness Kuga, laying face down in the dirt, utterly stripped, her hands bound behind her back in ship's rope. She was, in Takeda's opinion, mercifully unconscious. He picked up his bow, and carefully took aim. With a quick release, an arrow went through the neck of one of the men laughing over Natsuki's still form. Then he brought his flintlock to bear, putting it right against the temple of one of the men, then pulled the trigger. He plucked that man's weapon from its holster before the body could even fall, and aimed it at the third man.

"Perhaps you would care to tell me what you found so funny?" Takeda looked at him with a steely gaze. The man said nothing, looking terrified.

"I asked you a question?" Takeda said sternly, "What was so funny?"

"N-nothing, good sir. Nothing. We…We meant nothing by it. We just…."

Takeda looked down at Natsuki, at the bruises on her arms, and the knot on her head from where she'd been clubbed.

"Undo those ropes on her," Takeda said firmly, "Right now."

The man complied without question.

"Now, cover her with your coat."

Again, the man complied.

"I'm going to ask her when she wakes," Takeda informed him, "The same question I'm going to ask you now. And if her answer is any different from what you tell me, if she says you did more than you inform me of, I won't bother taking you back to Windbloom for a trial."

"She…she weren't awake for any o' it," the man trembled nervously, "So…"

Takeda looked at him in disgust, then motioned for the man to follow him.

"There, that man was my friend. He was one of the best hunters I ever knew. And Natsuki thought of him like a brother. And you, without any provocation, you blew his brains out," Takeda said sharply.

"Weren't me, sire. I had the tomahawk. I was s'posed to bash your 'ead in, and then when you was dead, leave the tomahawk with yer body, make 'em think the injuns killed yer."

"And the bullet for Sokanon was to convince the tribes that we'd betrayed them," Takeda nodded.

"That's it, sir."

"There, on Sokanon's belt. That horn. You are going to blow that horn."

"And call 'is devil friends 'ere?" the man looked terrified, "Oh, you wouldn't 'and me over to 'em, would you, sire?"

Takeda pushed the man against a tree and pressed the flintlock into his groin, "You blow that damned horn, or I'll emasculate you right here and now!"

The man picked up the horn and blew. A short while later, several of the tribe showed up, including Boone. They saw the dead, as well as Natsuki, lying unconscious on the ground, wrapped only in a coat.

Takeda explained what happened, "I'm very sorry about Sokanon, Boone. I considered him a good, close friend."

"And you are," Boone agreed, "We will take Sokanon for our own burial. But we will invite you and the others to be a part of his farewell. And what of this man?"

"Would you escort him back to Windbloom?" Takeda said, crouching down to carry Natsuki gently in his arms, "I'm going to see to it that Baroness Kuga is safe. Then, I'll join you while we decide his punishment."

"My men will see him safely there," Boone nodded, then spoke quickly to his people in their language, "I will go with you to deliver the Princess of the Forest to her home, safely."

Takeda looked at the prisoner, "If you try to run, they have permission to kill you."

888888

When Shizuru opened the door to the cabin, seeing Takeda and Boone, Natsuki in Takeda's arms, draped only in a man's coat, Shizuru's heart wailed in despair. She didn't wait to be told what had happened. The first word to reach her trembling lips horrified both men.

"Who?"

"He's a prisoner in the village now," Takeda said, "One of the men from the summer, with the fake footprints. I killed the other two."

"Lucky for them that you did," Shizuru growled, storming down the hill.

"I will see to it that the young lady is tended to," Ahn Lu said, "Stop Shizuru before she does something…rash."

Takeda nodded, handing the still unconscious Natsuki to her.

Shizuru was standing in the town square, her eyes empty and cold, staring at the man who had dared to hurt her Natsuki.

"Bring me a horse whip!" Shizuru commanded, "Bring me a horse whip, and bring me salt.

"Chain him! Chain him to the pillory. And remove his shirt!"

"Countess de Fujino, might I remind you that you have no authori…" John Smith found himself being lifted by the throat by one hand, Shizuru's cold eyes looking into his.

"You sent this man away, Smith, and he returns. Either you are complicit, or you are inept. If you're inept, I will handle the situation now! If you're complicit?"

She let out a low, mirthless laugh.

"If you're complicit, I will treat you the same as this man."

She lowered Smith, who coughed, but managed to maintain his composure as he asked, "What are the charges against him?"

"Murder and rape."

"'Ere, now, I never touched that girl!"

"Wait!" Haruka approached.

"Don't interfere," Shizuru warned Haruka.

"I said, Wait, damnit! You've leveled a damn serious charge against this man, Countess. If he is guilty, I'll let you flog him until he's fit to be served as Hamburg Steak. But let's make sure he's guilty, first. I'm a midwife. I'll examine the Baroness. Gently," Haruka wheeled on the man, "Or, if you confess your sins here and now, we could see fit to do a firing squad, instead."

The man held his silence, neither protesting his innocence nor offering a confession.

Haruka went up the hill with Yukino. They returned a half hour later with Natsuki and Ahn Lu. Natsuki was clad now in a simple gown, and her eyes were dark and haunted.

Haruka went over and whispered into Shizuru's ear. Shizuru's eyes clenched shut for a moment, the whip trembling in her hand. She threw it aside, and went over and embraced Natsuki, crying silently over her lover.

"Wait," someone asked, "Does that mean that he didn't…?"

"Takeda woke before they could do more than strip her. Natsuki says that since he helped take Sokanon's life, that we should hand him over to the tribes, to Boone, so that they may have justice," Shizuru spoke quietly, "I will honor her request, for the memory of our late friend, Sokanon."

The tribesmen nodded, and made to take their prisoner.

"Wait, you can't let 'em 'ave me! I'll confess! I'll confess to e'rythin'! Just don't let 'em take me!"

"Too late," Shizuru said.

After the man was gone, Takeda walked over to Shizuru and Natsuki. He fell to his knees, then bowed his head.

"Forgive me, Baroness, I'm so sorry. If…If I'd been more cautious, I wouldn't have fallen into that ravine, and you…"

She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, and saw her shaking her head, her emerald eyes meeting his own gaze.

"They meant to kill you, too, Takeda. They thought the fall into the ravine killed you, which is why you were still alive to save me. Don't be sorry for that. If you had been killed, they would have defiled me, and when finished with me, they would have killed me, too.

"You saved my life, Takeda. Thank you."

Takeda tried to smile, for her sake, but in his heart, he wanted to weep for the pain he wasn't able to prevent.

"It's getting dark, and I imagine that the Baroness needs to recover," Shizuru put an arm around Natsuki's shoulder, escorting her, "We'll talk in the morning."

"Hey, Pup!" Nao called to Natsuki, and Natsuki turned to see Nao looking at her with sad eyes and a forced smile, but she was still glad for the effort Nao was making, calling her 'pup' and all, "You gotta be more careful. You'll make your friends worry, getting into situations like that."

"Thanks, Nao," Natuski managed a smile.

Once they were secure in Natsuki's cabin, Natsuki found herself crying long into Shizuru's shoulder. And she felt Alyssa sit on the bed next to them, laying her small head reassuringly against her older sister. And Duran came to her and lay by her side.

Natsuki eventually fell into a dreamless sleep, surrounded by the people she loved.